Patentable/Patents/US-10790009
US-10790009

Sensing a memory device

PublishedSeptember 29, 2020
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

A memory device comprises a memory cell array, a plurality of sense amplifiers and a memory controller for controlling the plurality of sense amplifiers. The memory cell array includes a plurality of bit lines, where a bit line is coupled to a plurality of memory cells. A sense amplifier is coupled to a bit line and provides a sensing current to access data from one or more memory cells of the plurality of memory cells corresponding to the bit line. The memory controller performs operations comprising: during a pre-charging stage of a memory access cycle, providing, to a particular sense amplifier, a first voltage; and during a sensing stage of the memory access cycle, providing, to the particular sense amplifier, a second voltage, where the second voltage is a non-zero voltage that is lower than the first voltage.

Patent Claims
20 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. A memory device comprising: a memory cell array that includes a plurality of bit lines, wherein a bit line is coupled to a plurality of memory cells; a plurality of sense amplifiers, wherein a sense amplifier is coupled to a bit line and provides a sensing current to access data from one or more memory cells of the plurality of memory cells corresponding to the bit line; and a memory controller for controlling the plurality of sense amplifiers, the memory controller performing operations comprising: during a pre-charging stage of a memory access cycle, providing, to a particular sense amplifier, a first voltage; and during a sensing stage of the memory access cycle, providing, to the particular sense amplifier, a second voltage, wherein the second voltage is a non-zero voltage that is lower than the first voltage.

2

2. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the first voltage drives the sensing current to access data from a target memory cell.

3

3. The memory device of claim 2 , wherein the sensing current includes (i) a first current provided to a plurality of memory cells coupled to a particular bit line that includes the target memory cell, and (ii) a second current provided to a capacitance circuit corresponding to the particular bit line.

4

4. The memory device of claim 3 , wherein the particular sense amplifier includes: a sensing unit that generates the first current based on a first control signal received from the memory controller; and a pre-charging unit that generates the second current based on a second control signal and a third control signal that are received from the memory controller.

5

5. The memory device of claim 4 , wherein the sensing unit includes: a first transistor that provides the first voltage upon application of the first control signal to a gate of the first transistor, and provides the second voltage upon application of a fourth control signal to the gate of the first transistor.

6

6. The memory device of claim 4 , wherein the sensing unit includes: a first transistor that provides the first voltage upon application of the first control signal to a gate of the first transistor; and a second transistor that provides the second voltage upon application of a fourth control signal to a gate of the second transistor.

7

7. The memory device of claim 4 , wherein the pre-charging unit includes: a first transistor that provides a third voltage upon application of the second control signal to a gate of the first transistor; and a second transistor that provides a fourth voltage upon application of the third control signal to a gate of the second transistor, wherein the second current is generated using the third voltage and the fourth voltage.

8

8. The memory device of claim 3 , wherein the capacitance circuit includes a parasitic capacitance of the particular bit line and a cross-coupling capacitance shared between the particular bit line and an adjacent bit line.

9

9. The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the particular sense amplifier provides the sensing current to a plurality of memory cells coupled to a particular bit line during a memory access cycle, and wherein the memory controller: provides the first voltage to the particular sense amplifier to bias the particular bit line to a known voltage level during the pre-charging stage, and provides the second voltage to the particular sense amplifier to limit a variation in the bias of the particular bit line within a known voltage range during the sensing stage.

10

10. The memory device of claim 9 , wherein a value of the second voltage is selected to maintain the bias of a particular bit line coupled to the particular sense amplifier at a known voltage level.

11

11. A method for sensing a memory device, the method comprising: during a pre-charging stage of a memory access cycle, providing, by a memory controller to a particular sense amplifier of a plurality of sense amplifiers included in the memory device, a first voltage, wherein a sense amplifier of the plurality of sense amplifiers is coupled to a bit line of a plurality of bit lines included in the memory device and provides a sensing current to access data from one or more memory cells corresponding to the bit line; and during a sensing stage of the memory access cycle, providing, by the memory controller to the particular sense amplifier, a second voltage, wherein the second voltage is a non-zero voltage that is lower than the first voltage.

12

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein providing the first voltage to the particular sense amplifier comprises driving the sensing current to access data from a target memory cell.

13

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the sensing current includes (i) a first current provided to a plurality of memory cells coupled to a particular bit line that includes the target memory cell, and (ii) a second current provided to a capacitance circuit corresponding to the particular bit line.

14

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising: generating, using a sensing unit included in the particular sense amplifier, the first current based on a first control signal received from the memory controller; and generating, using a pre-charging unit included in the particular sense amplifier, the second current based on a second control signal and a third control signal that are received from the memory controller.

15

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising: providing, using a first transistor included in the sensing unit, the first voltage upon application of the first control signal to a gate of the first transistor; and providing, using the first transistor, the second voltage upon application of a fourth control signal to the gate of the first transistor.

16

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising: providing, using a first transistor included in the sensing unit, the first voltage upon application of the first control signal to a gate of the first transistor; and providing, using a second transistor included in the sensing unit, second voltage upon application of a fourth control signal to a gate of the second transistor.

17

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising: providing, using a first transistor included in the pre-charging unit, a third voltage upon application of the second control signal to a gate of the first transistor; and providing, using a second transistor included in the pre-charging unit, a fourth voltage upon application of the third control signal to a gate of the second transistor, wherein the second current is generated using the third voltage and the fourth voltage.

18

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second current is provided to a parasitic capacitance of the particular bit line and a cross-coupling capacitance shared between the particular bit line and an adjacent bit line, wherein the parasitic capacitance and the cross-coupling capacitance are included in the capacitance circuit.

19

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the particular sense amplifier provides the sensing current to a plurality of memory cells coupled to a particular bit line during a memory access cycle, and wherein the method comprises: providing, by the memory controller, the first voltage to the particular sense amplifier to bias the particular bit line to a known voltage level during the pre-charging stage; and providing, by the memory controller, the second voltage to the particular sense amplifier to limit a variation in the bias of the particular bit line within a known voltage range during the sensing stage.

20

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein providing the second voltage comprises: selecting a value of the second voltage to maintain the bias of a particular bit line coupled to the particular sense amplifier at a known voltage level.

Classification Codes (CPC)

Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

August 27, 2019

Publication Date

September 29, 2020

Want to explore more patents?

Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.

Citation & reuse

Analysis on this page is generated by Patentable — an AI-powered patent intelligence platform. AI-generated summaries, explanations, and analysis may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL below. Patent abstracts and claims are USPTO public domain.

Cite as: Patentable. “Sensing a memory device” (US-10790009). https://patentable.app/patents/US-10790009

© 2026 Patentable. All rights reserved.

Patentable is a research and drafting-assistant tool, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. Documents we generate are drafts for review by a licensed patent attorney.